Are You Lost, Little Boy?
by Artemis-chan of Redwing
Summary: [G1] A boy gets lost at a pool, and the lifeguards try to find his guardians.


**Author's Notes:** Okay, the whole this is based on the place where I actually work, though the lifeguard is kinda based on my sister. Takes place late 1990s, seeing as Daniel is supposed to be 12 in TF:TM, which takes place in 2005. Just...be gentle.

**Are You Lost, Little Boy?**

* * *

Ivy was grateful when the shifts changed and Ryan replaced her in trying to keep people from drowning themselves. The wave pool was a large and crowded place on a sweltering July afternoon, and she was very tempted to jump into the water to cool off. The young lifeguard resisted, however, and set off across the turf, picking up trash as she made her way back to the guards' table, affectionately referred to as Beach Bench. Scanning the turf for potential hazards, a little boy wandering off on his own and looking rather lost caught her eye.

Ivy moved quickly over to where the child was, setting down her small handful of paper garbage to crouch down in front of him. "Hi there, buddy," she said in a soothing, friendly voice. The boy looked as if he were going to cry _very_ shortly, and Ivy wanted to prevent that if it was at all possible. "Are you lost?"

The little boy - who looked to be about four or five years of age - nodded, and Ivy let out a little sigh. "Well, then, let's see if we can find your parents. What's your name, buddy?"

"Dan'l," came the soft reply. Ivy smiled encouragingly at him.

"Daniel, huh? Well, Daniel, let's try and find your parents, okay?" She offered him her hand. "Come with me?" A little hesitantly Daniel took the proffered hand, and Ivy started to slowly walk him over to Beach Bench. They maneuvered around various beach towels and bags, and the young lifeguard continued to talk to Daniel in a soothing voice.

"So, Daniel, who brought you here today?" Maybe, she thought, she could get some more answers from this kid, and they could find his parents and she could take her break. The boy looked at her in mild confusion for a moment. Ivy decided to try rephrasing her question. "Who did you come with? Mommy? Daddy?" Daniel smiled and nodded at these names, and Ivy felt the beginnings of a headache starting.

"How about Daddy? What's Daddy's name?" Of all of the lost children she had dealt with over the past several summers, this had to be one of the most...recalcitrant.

"Spike!" Daniel grinned up at the lifeguard, and Ivy had to physically stop her eyebrows from rising. Spike, huh? He was probably some kind of crazy biker who just dropped his kid off at the wave pool as a kind of alternative baby-sitting service, like so many other parents out there.

"Is that who you came here with today? Is that who brought you here?" Surprisingly - or not, considering how her day was going - Daniel shook his head.

"Uh-uh, Bumb'bee!" Daniel's grin grew even wider, it seemed, and he giggled this time as well. By this point, the odd pair had reached Beach Bench; Ivy nodded to her head guard, Mike, and indicated in the direction of the office with her head.

"He's lost. I'm gonna take him on up and see if we can reach his dad on the PA system." Mike waved her on, and Ivy, still holding little Daniel's hand, began the slow trek up to the administration office for the pool.

By the time they reached the manager's office, Ivy was about ready to bang her head against the cinderblock walls in frustration. She hadn't been able to get any more out of Daniel; the little boy kept repeating those two names in answer to her questions about his guardians. With a sigh, she handed him off to the assistant manager and made her way to the PA microphone. The guys were going to harass her so much for this one...

"Would Spike or Bumblebee please report to the manager's office? I repeat, would Spike or Bumblebee please report to the manager's office? Daniel is waiting for you there." She put the microphone down and turned to look at the source of her problems. "Sit over here with me, Daniel?" Normally, the lifeguard would return to Beach Bench following such an announcement, but she rather wanted to see how this one turned out - and if the boy's father turned out to be anything like the image in her head.

It took less than two minutes of waiting before Maria, one of the cashiers, to enter the office, a disturbed and confused look on her face. "Uh, Jack? Deanna?" she addressed the manager and assistant manager on duty, respectively. "I've got someone out here looking for that little boy Ivy brought up."

"Well, bring him in here!" Jack ordered, obviously expecting the missing guardian. Maria hesitated.

"He...can't." The young woman offered no other explanation, and, curiosity piqued, both authority figures as well as Ivy and Daniel exited the cool, dark office. What they saw stopped them in their tracks.

Standing on the other side of the gate was a large, yellow robot. There was a red symbol of some kind on its chest, though Ivy couldn't make out the details. Daniel squirmed his way out of her grip and ran towards the thing, giggling happily. "Bumb'bee!" he yelled, and the robot responded, whipping its head around to look at them.

"Daniel! There you are! Your dad's been really worried," it told the boy - who continued to approach unimpeded, as the staff were frozen in surprise - as it crouched down to his level. Daniel, fairly oblivious to the scolding he was receiving, ran through the exit gate and proceeded to hug the giant robot's leg. Sighing and shaking its head - and Ivy could swear she saw a faint smile on its face - the robot turned to the assembled staff. "I'm sorry about this," it said. "My name's Bumblebee, and this little guy is Daniel Witwicky. His dad should be coming soon, he'll sort all of this out. I'm terrible at explaining these things." Bumblebee's expression took a turn for the sheepish, but he was spared further explanations by the arrival of a young man who looked to be in his late 20s.

"Daniel!" he cried, and the little boy detached himself from Bumblebee's leg to run to him.

"Daddy!" The man swept Daniel up into his arms and hugged him tightly. Ivy, who had finally gathered her wits about her, felt that she could interrupt at this point.

"I take it you're Spike, then?" she asked, a touch of humor in her voice. The man turned to look at her, clearly startled to see them.

"Spike Witwicky," he replied, by way of introduction. "Are you the one who found Daniel?" Ivy nodded, and a smile of relief fell over Spike's face. "Thank you so much. I thought I could keep an eye on him, but apparently he's been picking up a few too many things from some of our friends than I'd like him to." Spike turned his attention back to the boy in his arms. "C'mon you, let's get you back home. Your mom'll be worried about us. Take us home, Bee?"

The robot, who had been watching this exchange, nodded. "Sure thing, Spike!" With that, he jumped up and sort of _twisted_ and suddenly, sitting on the sidewalk usually reserved for the county police officer, was a bright yellow VW Bug, which opened its doors for the father and son.

Spike stopped before entering the vehicle and turned back to the still-dumbfounded managers. "Thanks again! And don't worry, we'll be back in a few years, when I can trust this little guy not to go making any trouble for us. Bye!" And then he had ducked into the car, which promptly took off through the parking lot. Lifeguard, managers, and cashier stood still, watching after the retreating car for several moments, before Ivy realized that she ought to get back to her post.

"Well," she said to nobody in particular, "that was interesting."

_The End_


End file.
